The University of Michigan’s Flint campus is fighting back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The university has spent $250million on their trailblazer in DEI strategies, but threats to roll back federal funding prompted President Santa Ono to terminate the plan on Thursday. 

However, the university’s Flint campus issued a letter to the community announcing that they wouldn’t be eliminating their DEI office, but would instead reintroduce the program under a new name. 

Flint’s Office of DEI is now operating as the Wolverine Hub of Opportunity, Persistence, and Excellence, also referred to as HOPE. 

‘We do not anticipate any reduction in staffing due to this change, but some staff positions will be retitled and job descriptions will be reviewed to ensure we achieve the breadth of access needed for our students,’ University of Michigan-Flint’s Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander wrote in the letter, seen by DailyMail.com. 

The letter continued that university administration will continue supporting cultural events, an inclusive environment, and facilitate respectful conversations. 

Alexander added that the university would evaluate its web presence to be in compliance with new federal guidelines but there wouldn’t be changes at the departmental level. 

The chancellor also detailed that the campus’s human resources team would be modifying job postings to eliminate language about an applicant’s identity or commitment to DEI. 

The University of Michigan has been forced to roll back DEI initiatives in response to the Trump Administration’s recent executive orders making the programs illegal

Trump claimed in a slew of executive orders that DEI was a violation of civil rights, calling the programs ‘radical’ and ‘wasteful’ 

University of Michigan-Flint Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander issued a letter to the campus community on how DEI policies would continue moving forward 

‘We understand that recent policy discussions at the national level may raise questions or uncertainty. Please know that we will continue to monitor governmental activity and are committed to providing clarity and updates as needed,’ the letter continued.

The letter specifically addressed UM-Flint’s plan in combating Trump’s DEI policies. President Ono has not announced if similar policies will be implemented at the university’s other campuses.  

Michigan has three campuses Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint. The main campus is in Ann Arbor and focuses on research. 

Flint and Dearborn have higher acceptance rates and lower admission costs and the three campuses are funded separately. 

Both Ann Arbor and Flint campuses adopted a DEI Strategic Plan in 2020 and the university has championed the initiative. 

In October, the New York Times investigated the extent of Michigan’s $250 million DEI program, citing research conducted by Flint professor Mark J. Perry that found job titles relating to DEI increased by 70 percent. 

A study conducted by the conservative group, the Heritage Foundation, the same think tank that authored Project 2025, cited that the University of Michigan had the largest DEI program of any public university in 2021.

A confidential report obtained by the Times also revealed that Michigan administration urged staff to continue using diversity initiatives in hiring and promotion. 

University of Michigan President Santa Ono wrote in a public letter that the administration would be terminating DEI policies in compliance with Trump’s recent executive orders 

Flint campus Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander followed up in a separate letter saying the school would be launching a new office called the Wolverine Hub of Opportunity, Persistence, and Excellence, also referred to as HOPE 

The university’s DEI strategic plan was launched in 2016 and an evolved strategy named DEI 2.0 was rolled out in 2023. 

As a result of the initiatives, first-generation undergraduates increased by 46 percent and Pell Grant recipients increased by over 32 percent. 

On Thursday, President Ono released a letter notifying the community that the DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan would be discontinued.

‘These decisions have not been made lightly. We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting,’ Ono wrote in the message. 

Ono noted that federal actions against DEI including Trump’s recent executive orders contributed to the decision to end the program. 

On the first day of Trump’s presidency, he signed an executive order calling DEI programs ‘radical’ and ‘wasteful.’ 

The order directed the termination of all DEI or DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) programs.  

Trump signed another order titled Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity a day later, which declared DEI initiatives illegal. 

The University of Michigan-Flint largely serves students local to the area and has lower tuition rates than the flagship Ann Arbor location

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is the main campus and is a competitive public university with a low acceptance rate 

Ono also cited Trump’s order to dismantle the Department of Education and a letter written by Craig Trainer, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the DOE. 

The letter threatened that federal funding would be eliminated for public universities that didn’t dismantle their DEI programs. 

To combat the outcomes of rolling back DEI, Ono said that the university would initiate other steps to continue supporting the community. 

Michigan said they would be expanding financial aid and enhancing mental health support. 

The university is also expanding its Blavin Scholars Program and investing in more programs to foster academic success, including 24/7 AI tutors and a personal AI assistant for every member of the community.